Midnight Encounter
by xXMoonlight ShadowXx
Summary: Zuko and Iroh have joined up with Aang and co., but the Banished Prince and the Water Peasant don't exactly come off as best buddies. That is, until Jet comes back.


**_Hola! Que pasa? Kitsune en la casa! haha, I don't really speak Spanish...but I read that cheer in All You've Got, which I consider the Bible of volleyball. What? Our volleyball season started up at school, and I'm caught up in all the excitement. Don't be hatin'! Anyhoo, I'm doin' another drabble. My other story, A Familiar Face, is goin'...okay-ish. I need more reviews is what I need. Oh well, here's something to keep my Zutara spirit going!_**

**_Oh yea, and I just realized: I haven't been disclaiming my work. My bad. _**

**_Avatar belongs to me in no such way...but you already knew that.__

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Midnight Encounter

"Zuko, where are you going? The fruits are this way!"

"Stupid water peasant, I know where I'm going! What I'm doing is getting away from you!"

Katara glared at his retreating back, and went off in the opposite direction to look at fruit. _So far, the change hasn't been very good, _she thought to herself _It's worse than when Toph joined us. Sure, the old man Iroh is more than welcome because he doesn't try to blow our heads off every other minute. But Zuko…really._

She browsed through a nice selection, picking up and testing a grapefruit. Meeting her standards, she dropped it in her basket, searching for another.

The young woman didn't cringe when a shadow towered over her. In fact, she didn't even look around. Things were slowly failing to surprise her, considering how long she had traveled with a twelve-year old Avatar, her idiotic, yet cunning brother, and a blind girl.

"Are you done yet?"

She sighed, annoyed now. "I'll be done once I've gotten enough food to feed six people, plus a flying bison and lemur. In case you haven't noticed, that's not the easiest job in the world. Who knows how long it'll be before we get to the next decent market?"

Zuko scowled. "Well hurry up. I can't wait forever on you."

Katara stopped and looked up. "Wait, _why_ are you waiting for me?"

He leaned down next to her, pretending to be reaching for an orange near the back of the cart. "Don't freak out, but there's a scrappy-looking bastard who's been stalking you all day. I saw him near the entrance when we came in, and he's been following you around all day. And as much as I'd love to see you get beaten by that grass-chewing freak, I don't have time today."

Katara ignored her companion's foul language and froze. "Grass-chewing? Scrappy-looking?"

"Yeah, I've seen him before. I can't remember his name, but he tried to get me to join up with his crew…they called themselves the Freedom Fighters or something ridiculous."

Images of the wild boy came back to her. "Jet!" she whispered.

Zuko nodded. "That was his name. You know him?"

She shook her head. "Long story. How'd you know about him?"

"Apparently, he's got a thing for stalking; nearly exposed us as Firebenders in Ba Sing Se. A bunch of Earth Kingdom warriors arrested him for trying to kill 'the best tea maker in the city'."

Katara giggled despite the situation. "You make tea?"

He looked offended by the question. "I hate the stuff; it was all Uncle Iroh."

Becoming serious again, Zuko watched her for any signs of trouble. "So what do you want to do about him? Hey!"

She picked up a watermelon, giving the surface a few hard raps. "What do you think, Zuko? Does this sound ripe enough?"

He gaped at her. "Did you just hear me? He's been stalking you all day and all you can do is ask me about fruits? What's wrong with you?"

Setting the fruit down, Katara glared at him, hands on her hips. "What? It's nothing to get all worked up about."

"Nothing to get worked up about! In case you haven't noticed, peasant, he's _dangerous_! If he gave _me_ trouble, what would he do to _you_!"

Angrily, Katara slammed her hands down on the cart, causing it to rattle violently. "First of all, my name's Katara. That's easy enough to say, isn't it, _tea maker_! And secondly, it's only Jet!"

"Yeah, it's only me."

Katara wheeled around to find herself staring at Jet, who was smirking. "What's a beautiful Water Bender like yourself doing here alone?"

He raised a hand, caressing her cheek softly. She shivered at his touch, wanting nothing more than to drown him with her canteen of water. But creating a scene was not something she was keen to do at the moment. Instead, she roughly pushed away his hand. "I don't need to be watched twenty-four seven, unlike you. So if you don't mind, I'll finish up and…"

Jet grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in close. "It's dangerous for a young woman to be walking around alone, especially since it'll be dark soon. Let me walk you back to your friends."

Zuko turned around, golden eyes piercing right through the Freedom Fighter as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Actually, she's with me."

He let go of Katara, eyes narrowing as he returned the former prince's glare. "I remember you…_tea maker_," he spat.

Furious with the jibe, now used twice on him, he kept his hand on Katara's shoulder protectively. "I don't exactly like being called a tea maker, but I supposed it's better than being a Firebender."

Stung by the memory of his mistake, Jet growled. "I'm not here to start anything. All I wanted was to say hi to an old friend." He swept his eyes over Katara in a way that made her shudder again. "But since I can't even do that, I'll be leaving now."

Giving them both one last glare, he stalked away.

Zuko kept his hand on her shoulder until Jet was lost in the crowd, but was still reluctant to let go. "See why you need to be careful now?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I see now." Looking up at him, she gave a small smile. "Thanks, Zuko."

Zuko's hand left her shoulder as if she had burnt him, and scowled darkly at the ground. "It's nothing. Now hurry up so we can get back. He was right when he said it'd be dark soon, and I don't think he's done with you."

"Alright. I'll only be a few more minutes."

She moved on to another cart, examining different produce as if nothing had happened. The young Firebender kept a safe distance from her, yet at the same time never let her leave his sight. After fifteen minutes, though, Zuko became impatient again. "Are you _quite_ done yet? I was serious when I said we need to hurry."

The cart's owner was sipping from a cup of water and reading a newspaper, but stopped and listened interestedly when Zuko started up. Katara ignored him and exchanged money with the keeper. "Zuko, it's nothing to worry about. I can handle Jet on my own. Really, I can."

Zuko was past listening to her. "You don't seem to get it. It's getting late, peasant. The sun's halfway down, and stores are closing up for the day. _We need to go_."

This time, she slammed her hands down on the cart, causing the water in the cup to swirl violently. "Look, I'm perfectly fine on my own! It's okay if you're scared of the dark, but I'm not! So if you don't mind, _get off my back_!"

The shopkeeper chuckled and struck up a conversation with his friend. "Young love is wonderful, isn't it? I remember when I was first engaged."

He cowered as Zuko and Katara rounded on him. "_We're not engaged_!"

They returned to glaring at each other. "I'll be done when I'm done, and not a minute before!"

"Well when you come back beaten and sore, don't complain to me!"

"Fine then, I won't!"

"See you back at camp, then!"

"Fine by me!"

And with one last "hmph!" they stalked off in separate directions. The two cart-keepers looked at each other, a mixture of fear and amusement on their faces. "Young love?"

"Most definitely."

* * *

"Pathetic, sad, weak Water peasant!"

Zuko stormed back to the camp, past a now-cowering Sokka, a bemused Aang, and an indifferent Toph, to stand next to his calm uncle who was preparing to light the fire. "_How_ can you put up with her? She's so stubborn!"

In his anger, he let loose a fireball that set a nicely-sized fire ablaze, ready to heat up the meals. Iroh beamed. "Was there a problem with Miss Katara?"

"That…that….peasant doesn't know her place! She thinks she's so invincible, walking the streets at night when the lowest of people come out! One day, she'll learn her place!"

Sokka regained some of his courage to speak up. "You left my sister back at the market! _At night_!" he screeched.

He was brought back down with a single glare. Toph sighed. "Really, Sugar Queen can take care of herself. She's been through worse, I'm sure, and she's probably doing better without you."

Zuko's glare had no effect on her, so he plopped down on the ground next to his uncle, arms crossed, still scowling. Aang looked around. "Hey, where's the bag of food?"

"Still with Katara, and that's back at the market."

Aang pouted. "You didn't bring back anything?"

The look on the Banished Prince's face, distorted by the flames, was enough. He sighed, rubbing his empty stomach. "Can't you go back and look for her? I'm hungry…"

"I'm not going anywhere near her for the rest of the night. Really, how do you put up with her?"

Iroh stirred a pot of tea. "The others seem to get along with her just fine, Zuko. I think it's just you. Maybe you just need to open yourself up to her a bit more."

Not finding any help from anyone, not even his uncle, he let a jet of fire hiss from his mouth, before storming off yet again to a more secluded part of the tree. If he couldn't get any help from his companions, he might as well stick to meditation.

But something didn't seem right. That Jet boy…he had been a little too touchy with her, and he didn't like his attitude. After a few minutes of trying to meditate, trying to clear his mind of troubles, he gave up and sulked back into camp to grab his bag. "I'm going to do a bit of training."

Iroh looked up from the fire. "I hope you're not going to ask me to help you. This is a really good pot of jasmine tea."

Ignoring his uncle, he strolled off again.

* * *

Katara sighed. "Finally, I'm done," she said to no one in particular, and started to walk home. But the streets looked so different at night, and she wasn't exactly familiar with the town. She looked around warily as a few men closed their shops and turned off the lights, casting her looks as she wandered aimlessly about.

She gasped as a rat scurried past her in an alley, and immediately brought her water out. But there was nothing to attack.

Trying to calm herself, Katara spoke to herself again. "I'm just freaking out, that's all. If I focus, I can find a way out of here and get back to camp. The others are probably starving by now."

And with that thought in mind, she set off again with a bit more confidence.

She tried to keep distracted, and thought about her two new companions, Zuko and Iroh.

Iroh was amiable enough; give him a cup of jasmine tea and a good story and he was happy. As ridiculous as he seemed at times, Katara had learned not to test him. Patience was something bountiful in his case, considering the rather fierce nephew he took care off, and he was willing to help anyone in need. He wasn't called the Dragon of the West for nothing.

Zuko, however, was a completely different matter. He was loud, impatient, and always throwing himself headlong into a fight. He didn't care what the odds, or who he was fighting; if it meant he could prove himself to someone, he was in.

Yet he had a different side to him, one that could barely be seen. He wasn't all brawn; he was cunning, like his uncle, and at times was almost _kind_, as difficult as it was to believe. The few things he owned he kept a hold on with a kind of fierce pride, almost like the way he had defended her today at the market.

Katara shivered again, thinking of how close she had been to both boys, one of them she would rather have over the other. Jet was just as aggressive as Zuko, but far too pushy. Maybe that was why she felt herself more drawn to the Banished Prince.

She spun around as the sound of shuffling feet brought her out of her thoughts to find herself face-to-face with Jet once again. He was still smirking. "I was surprised to see you with a Firebender out in open daylight, but I never expected you to be wandering around an empty market at night. Don't you know it's dangerous for young women at this hour?"

Trying to keep a bold face, she began to walk away. "Leave me alone, Jet. I don't have time for you right now."

Jet moved in front of her, tilting her chin upward. "Aww, looking for your Firebending friend?"

"Lee isn't a Firebender. You're just a maniac."

He shrugged, spitting his piece of grass on the ground. "If I'm a maniac, then I guess I want you."

Grabbing her roughly by the arm, he pulled her in, only to be pushed away by a torrent of water. Katara brought the water back into her canteen, ready to strike again. "Leave me alone, you monster!"

Jet pretended to give up, but as Katara turned her back to run, he lunged for her and pulled the canteen from her side, falling on top of her in the process. Turning her over roughly, he gave a small laugh. "No one to help you now, is there? Scarface doesn't really care for you much to leave you here at night, especially when he knows I'm around."

Katara screamed out. "No! No, get off of me, bastard!"

But she was stopped as his lips came crashing on hers, cold and harsh. He pulled his face away from hers for a brief second, only to scare her even more with his words. "Why don't you get it, Katara? Forget that scarred freak, he doesn't care for you. I'm the one who wants you."

Kissing her again, he bit her lip hard, undoing her waist sash and allowing his hands to wander. Katara screamed again, groping desperately for her canteen. "Let go of me! Someone, anyone, please, help!"

Jet looked up just as a dark figure collided into him, pulling out his swords and preparing for a fight. The blue mask contrasted with the black suit, but was creepy nonetheless. Katara tried to stagger to her feet, but collapsed near the side of the alley, leaning against the wall for support. She watched with awe as the two combatants fought, steel against steel, trading blow after blow. Jet was visibly exhausted, but if the blue masked figure was tired at all, there was no sign of slowing down. Instead, he seemed to be speeding up now that his opponent was tired.

But in his hastiness, the masked man dropped his guard, and Jet sent his swords flying in different directions. "What're you gonna do now that you can't fight?"

The figure took another fighting stance, performing several acrobatic moves before letting loose a wave of fire that nearly killed Jet. He stared wide-eyed at the huge burn traveling from his arm to his shoulder, and glared at the figure. "Fine. You can have her. She's not worth it anyway."

And he took off, cursing all the way.

Katara slid to the ground, sobbing slightly from the pain and exhaustion. The sash had opened up part of her dress, and Katara rolled to her stomach to hide it from this stranger.

But to her surprise, he didn't try to take advantage of her. He lifted her chin, lighting a fire in his hand to see her. "Are you alright?"

The voice sounded so familiar, but Katara was too tired to think. She nodded mutely, afraid to speak. The fire illuminated her wide, sea-blue eyes in an almost ethereal way.

He brought her in close, hugging her against his chest. "Good," he murmured. "I thought you were dead."

Although the night had been slightly chilly, and she was exposed a bit more than usual, she felt oddly warm against the stranger. But she was too tired to ask questions; all she wanted was to stay here with him as long as possible.

Picking up her sash, he helped her tie it around her waist as best as she could, closing the dress once again. "You need to get out of here."

Weakly, she leaned against his sturdy frame. "That's what I was trying to do, but I got lost. And my companion left me before sunset."

The figure stiffened slightly, but wiped away a few tears from her face with his finger. "Then let me help you."

Katara smiled weakly. "Thank you. I owe you my life."

The last thing she saw was the blue mask before she blacked out.

* * *

Katara awoke to the sound of a crackling fire, and sat up slowly. Her back was slightly bruised, but other than that, she felt better. She still shivered as she thought of Jet, and how barbaric he had been towards her. Her mind wandered to the blue masked stranger, and how she owed him so much.

"Peasant! You can't just lay in bed all day! Get up and help!"

She scowled as she heard Zuko's voice. If he hadn't left her so early the night before, she might not be in this situation right now. But she grudgingly got up, despite her aching back, and went to help out with breakfast. She looked around. "Where did everyone go?"

Zuko looked up, and she saw he looked tired. "Your brother went to watch the Avatar and Uncle Iroh practice, and probably catch some decent meat. The blind girl went off to practice Earthbending. Now help me and cut up the fruits."

Katara grumbled as she worked. "I get attacked in a market at night and helped by a complete stranger whose face I never got to see, and then the next morning I'm helping one of the people I hate most with breakfast."

Zuko stopped and turned around, grabbing her wrists, causing her to drop the knife. "Don't argue with me this morning, peasant. I'm too tired to argue."

"Oh, well excuse me, Your Highness," she mumbled annoyed. "I didn't know you didn't get your beauty sleep."

He glared at her. "I don't know why you're grumbling. You said you owed me your life just last night."

She stopped and stared at him, too stunned to speak. Zuko took this opportunity to leave a chaste kiss on her slightly swollen lips, then turned back to breakfast.

"Zuko…I…"

"Don't mention it. Ever."

"No, it's not that I was going to _mention_ it, I just…"

He turned around, and she fell into his arms, returning his kiss. The Banished Prince wasn't too sure how long they had been there like that, but he enjoyed it. Sometimes, saving the life of a person you detest could really pay off.

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**_Well, you know the drill: Read and Review, kudasai!_**

**_Oh, and read So. Cal Girl's latest story...ah, heck, go read 'em all!_**

**_Ja ne! Kitsune no tsuki_**


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